In a Court of Appeals decision announced Monday, the towns of Dryden and Middlefield prevailed in cases testing their zoning prohibitions against activities surrounding high-volume hydraulic fracturing.

The area along Route 156 is called "mixed-use" zoning, where residential and commercial uses are allowed. The law is set up with planning board oversight, with the aim to sustain the historic qualities of the district.

The land is currently zoned Residential R15 and Residential R40, and would need to be re-zoned to Planned Unit Development — which can exceed zoned density requirements — in order for the project to go forward.